


We'll Walk the Stars Together

by raleighpuppy



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Gay Cats, I just love Talltail and Jake's apparent relationship, I never actually read Tallstar's Revenge oops, I'm Sorry, Tallstar is gay as fuck, tallstar never got over jake
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-29
Updated: 2014-11-29
Packaged: 2018-02-27 10:17:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2689151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raleighpuppy/pseuds/raleighpuppy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first cat that greets Tallstar after his death is his beloved friend Jake. The two have a lot of catching up to do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We'll Walk the Stars Together

Tallstar remembers Jake, remembers his fiery red fur and friendly eyes, and appreciates how he's helping him walk up the hills, but he doesn't understand why Jake is fleeing the old forest with the Clans when he's a kittypet; said he'd always be a kittypet and Tallstar, then Talltail, would always be a warrior, but they would always be friends. He's such a good friend, Tallstar thinks as Jake helps him walk a bit behind everyone else, even if he's thinner now and has no collar and joined a clan (albeit ThunderClan), he's a good friend.

Currently, Jake is arguing with two other cats, Onewhisker (soon to be Onestar) and Mudclaw, with a raised voice. The cats bristle, but Tallstar can't bring himself to get up, can't bring himself to tell them to stop and be quiet because he wants to sleep. He's so tired and cold. Mudclaw hisses and stomps out, while Onewhisker settles back down next to him and begins to lick his side again, cleaning him. It's slow and rhythmic and comforting, and he feels his eyes slide shut. The voices around him blur. 

_Tallstar, younger and feeling much more alive than he has in while, sits on the edge of a fence. A voice calls to him from in the yard and he feels his heart pound faster._

_"Talltail!"_

_The voice is friendly, warm, welcoming, and belongs to a certain ginger tom kittypet. Jake pads up to the fence, picking up the pace a little as he spots Talltail for sure. Tallstar can hear him purring from up on the fence and he knows he's purring too. Excited, he hops down from the fence, doesn't feel that uncomfortable jolt in his joints that he's become so accustomed to, and trots over to his friend, meeting him half way. The two cats press their faces together; they can feel the happy rumbling they both emit from deep in their chests._

_"Great StarClan, I've missed you," Tallstar breathes._

_"I've missed you too," he replies. "How long's it been?"_

_"Many, many moons," the old clan leader answers, "much too many."_

_"How've you been?" Jake asks, leading Tallstar over towards a nice bush with enough space underneath the branches for the two of them to slip under and snuggle in._

_The black and white tom purrs as he rests his head on his friend's back. "Tired," he answers. "The twolegs...They destroyed the forest for all the clans. We had to leave."_

_"Oh, Talltail," the other cat whispers, "I'm so sorry."_

_"It's Tallstar now." And he can't help it but to puff out his chest a little with pride._

_Jake gasps. "That's great! I bet you were a great leader!"_

_"Were?"_

_"Tallt-- Tallstar, I'm dead. I've been dead," Jake explains. "The only way we can be together is if you're dead too." He pauses. "I know it's mousebrained, but I never-- I didn't want you to die. I hoped that somehow you'd stay around forever. I know that's impossible, but I-- Not that I never wanted to see you again, but..."_

_Tallstar takes a deep breath, feels a heavy load lift from his shoulders. "I hoped you'd still be alive when I died," he says._

_Jake doesn't make eye contact; he looks towards their paws. A pang of worry shoots through Tallstar. Has he said something wrong? Has he made his dearest friend mad or upset with him?_

_"I have a confession to make," Jake blurts after a strained minute of silence, "I took a mate. Two mates. And I--"_

_"I know," Tallstar interrupts. "Your son Firestar is--"_

_"Firestar? I have a son in the clans who's a leader?"_

_"Yes." Tallstar nods. "He's the leader of ThunderClan. He is-- he's a good leader and a good cat. You'd be proud of him. Starclan knows I am."_

_"You sound proud of him like he's your own."_

_"If I ever fathered kits, I'd have wanted them to be like him."_

_"You never took a mate?" Jake's eyes widen and he feels something-- hope, maybe, that Tallstar is still interested in him? because the fact he took a mate (two, actually) never made him love the WindClan cat any less, not even with all the moons they spent apart-- stir in his chest._

_Tallstar shakes his head. "No, I never did. I, um, never f--"_

_Jake laughs; a warm, friendly, sound. "I'm sorry I laughed when you said you're not interested in she-cats and never are gonna be. You were right." He sobers. "But is there a reason why?"_

_Tallstar answers quickly without missing a single beat, "My heart always belonged to you."  
_

_A purr builds in the back of Jake's throat as he begins to groom his close friend and he can't help but wondering about them. Had he agreed to join WindClan, would they have become mates? Had Tallstar agreed to become a kittypet, would they have become mates? Or were they destined to be apart no matter the circumstances? The steadiness of Tallstar's breathing and the loud rumble of his purrs steadies Jake's mind._

_"At least we're together now," Jake comments. "_

_As long as we walk the same stars, I want to be with you," Tallstar says, looking his friend-- perhaps soon to be mate-- in the eyes. "Do you?"_

_"Of course," Jake softly answers. "Though we couldn't be together in life, anywhere your spirit walks, I'll be right there with you."_

"Tallstar! Tallstar!" Onewhisker wails, prodding his leader's side. "Can someone get a medicine cat or--"

"He's gone to StarClan," Firestar says very, very quietly.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I have a confession to make: I've never actually read Tallstar's Revenge.  
> I've just always loved Tallstar and when I heard about his relationship with Jake, I checked the wiki site, and I see these statements at the bottom of the page:  
> Despite being hinted at by Vicky, Tallstar never took a mate or had kits, and his heart always belonged "to his Jake". Vicky has also stated that Tallstar was not neutered while staying with Jake, and "he just wasn't interested in dating she-cats".  
> And I was really excited, so I had to do some reading up, and I really wanted to write something about him and Jake.  
> 


End file.
